Dire Straits (album)

Dire Straits was recorded at Basing Street Studios in London from 13 February to 5 March 1978. Mark Knopfler used a few guitars for the recording, including a pair of red Fender Stratocasters—one from 1961 (serial number 68354) and one from 1962 (serial number 80470). He played his 1938 National Style O 14 fret guitar (serial number B1844)^{[nb 1]} on "Water of Love" and "Wild West End". He also used a black Telecaster Thinline (serial number 226254) on "Setting Me Up". His brother David played a black Fender Stratocaster and a Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar. The album was produced by Muff Winwood, and engineered by Rhett Davies, assisted by Greg Cobb.

The album was first released on 9 July 1978 in the UK and on 20 October in the US .^[7] The first single released was "Sultans of Swing" which first broke into the United States top five early in the spring of 1979, becoming a hit a full five months after the album was released there, and then reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart. "Water of Love" was also released as a single in some countries, and charted in Australia, reaching number 54, and in the Netherlands, reaching number 28.^[8]

"Sultans of Swing" was re-released as a single in the UK in November 1988 to promote the greatest hits compilation Money for Nothing, released in October that year.^[9]

The album was remastered and reissued with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 to most of the world excluding the U.S. and on 19 September 2000 in the United States.^[10]

The album cover artwork is designed by Hothouse, who commissioned the cover painting from Chuck Loyola. The Dire Straits Fender logo, which appears on the back cover, was designed by Geoff Halpern.

Dire Straits promoted the release of their first single and album with the Dire Straits Tour, which started on 6 June 1978 at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton, included 55 shows, ending on 18 November 1978 at the College of Education in Hitchin.^[11] The European tour included concerts in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. These concerts presented Dire Straits with their largest audiences to that date. The first leg of the tour promoted "Sultans of Swing" and took the band around Great Britain in June and July 1978. The band typically performed in small halls with a maximum capacity of 1,000. The second leg of the tour promoted the band's debut album. This leg took the band to several European countries, where they met journalists and performed on television programmes.^[11]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
Christgau's Record Guide	B[13]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[14]
The Great Rock Discography	8/10[15]
MusicHound	4/5[16]
Pitchfork	8.2/10[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[18]
Sputnikmusic	5/5[19]

Close

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "remarkably accomplished for a debut".^[12] Erlewine praised Knopfler's "spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling" and his "inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album".^[12]

In his review for Rolling Stone, Ken Tucker wrote that the band "plays tight, spare mixtures of rock, folk and country music with a serene spirit and witty irony. It's almost as if they were aware that their forte has nothing to do with what's currently happening in the industry, but couldn't care less."^[20] Tucker singled out "Sultans of Swing" for its "inescapable hook" and "Bob Dylan-like snarl in its vocal".^[20] He also praised "Setting Me Up" as a "heavenly number, funny and bitter".^[20]

"Sultans of Swing" fades out early (5:36) on some CD pressings before 1996.

Personnel taken from Dire Straits liner notes.^[2]

Dire Straits spent 132 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.^[22]